A long day of birding started with us stopping by the Charles H. Rodgers/Institute Woods in Princeton. Blue-winged Warbler, American Redstarts, and Black-and-White Warblers danced in a flock containing them, titmice (is the plural of titmouse even titmice?) and chickadees above our heads (I had forgotten how much warblers wear on your neck muscles). Male and female Common Yellow-throated Warblers seen from the overlook as well. Then we set out to the Johnson Sod farm (of course looking for our nemesis the Cattle Egret where 300 of them had been seen earlier) but didn’t see much outside of Black-bellied Plover and Killdeer. We ended the day at the Brig as we timed it so we would arrive at the 630-730 window when the Spoonbill comes out of his “hidden” mid-day haunt and flies over the Gull Pond and its tower. While we were “waiting” we got our first Caspian Tern with his huge beak and black-capped head. It was then the Spoonbill’s turn to make his appearance but if not for some keen spotting eyes on the tower we wouldn’t have noticed as it flew out east of its “normal” path. A few (there were 15-20 people there on such a pleasant evening) didn’t get looks but we were pleased to see him touch down in a pond on the west side of the entrance to the Drive. Jeanette spotted him wading with others and pointed heads and scopes in the appropriate direction. All were happy and stunned by the “pinkness” of the bird. Always a good day of birding in NJ when you can end it will a Roseate Spoonbill.
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